Ben Affleck to Donate All Future Weinstein Film Residuals to Charity

Say what you will about Kevin Smith’s recent films or his persona, but there’s no denying that the filmmaker made the right call when he announced his intention to donate all future Weinstein and Miramax film residuals to charity. And now he’s inspired longtime friend Ben Affleck to do the same, as the Justice League star has revealed that he will donate his own residuals from Weinstein films to Film Independent and RAINN (the Rape, Abuse, and Incest National Network).

In the wake of numerous sexual assault and harassment allegations leveled against his former distributor and friend, Harvey Weinstein, Smith declared that his residuals from Weinstein and Miramax movies will go to Women in Film. During an interview with FOX 5 to promote Justice League, Affleck said that he’ll follow in Smith’s footsteps, donating all future residuals to a pair of charities:

Once Kevin [Smith] suggested that, I decided to do the same thing, so I’m giving any further residuals that I get from a Miramax or a Weinstein movie will go either to FI or to RAINN. One is Film Independent and the other is a women’s organization, and I just didn’t want to cash any more checks from the guy, you know? I don’t usually bring it up.

Although Affleck concedes that not everyone may be able to afford doing the same, he encouraged other filmmakers and actors do donate what they can from their own Weinstein and Miramax residuals.

It’s a step in the right direction for the actor and director, whose own history of sexual misconduct recently resurfaced. Not long after the first Weinstein allegations broke, Affleck released a statement condemning the former executive’s actions, while claiming that he knew nothing of Weinstein’s predatory behavior. Actress and former TRL host Hilarie Burton subsequently revived an allegation from 2003, recalling the time that Affleck groped her on the set of the MTV show.

Rose McGowan, who co-starred with Affleck in the supernatural thriller Phantoms, called the actor out for being a hypocrite; McGowan, who received a settlement in her own assault case against Weinstein, has been one of the most outspoken celebrities in the weeks since the initial allegations surfaced. The actress claims Affleck knew about Weinstein’s behavior — or at least that he had assaulted McGowan — in the ’90s.

Affleck, whose brother Casey settled with two female colleagues in a sexual harassment suit in 2010, recently spoke with the Associated Press about his own history of misconduct. Following Burton’s claim, a video — which had made the rounds before — began circulating online showing Affleck behaving inappropriately during an interview with a Montreal TV host and making sexually explicit comments.

While speaking with AP, Affleck admitted he’s “looking at my own behavior and addressing that and making sure I’m part of the solution.” He also added that “more women need to be pushed to power,” and that misogyny and sexual misconduct must also be a “men’s issue.” Affleck says other men need to call harassment and sexism out when they see it in order to effect change. He couldn’t be more correct.